Mage of Black Lightning
by kuroishuuha
Summary: When Naruto dies and is given a second chance, he finds himself meeting the dark mage Zeref. Wanting to teach Zeref the value of life, Naruto sets out on a Journey with him, but something goes wrong and Naruto finds himself face to face with the Lightning Dragon 300 Years in the Future. Now Naruto must seek the truth about what happened to Zeref, and save him from the darkness
1. Chapter 1

Floating in an endless darkness gave Naruto plenty of time to think…too plenty. At first he appreciated the quiet, the stillness. His war torn body and soul appreciated the brief rest, the time to just let himself relax and not have to put on a brave and happy front. It was weak of him to admit it, _**but he was dead so why did it matter**_, it was weak…and unlike him at all…but he was just so _tired, _tired of all the forced happiness, tired of all the promises, tired of all the battles, tired of all the hate…

If he had to admit something, it would be that he didn't break when he had to battle against the two madmen of the Uchiha clan, he didn't break when he heard of Jiraiya's death, he didn't break when the village was destroyed, he didn't break when he ran into Sasuke so many times and heard his harsh words, he didn't break when Sasuke defected…putting a hole into his chest, he didn't break when Haku had died and Zabuza had followed the kind boy into death, and contrary to what people might think…he didn't break when he found out about his status as a Jinchuuriki. The truth behind his solid resolve was that…he had been broken a long time ago and was poorly put back together into a crude model of what people wanted him to be…

So for a while, Naruto allowed himself to just close his eyes and let himself float…to not worry about picking up not only his own broken pieces but the broken pieces of those around him…and while it was too late for his shattered mind and soul to be put back together…he tiredly worked to put the broken pieces of others back together…piece by piece, ignoring how the sharp edges would cut into him, scratching at his already fragile mask, ignoring how each time he fixed someone else he would break a little more

But thinking back on it…a small part of himself was glad that he had been broken a long time ago…happy that when he finally shattered…it had been painless

And for the first time in a long time since he had entered this floating darkness he called his own personal Hell…Naruto allowed the memories to wash over him

He expected a wave of remorse, a wave of regret, a wave of guilt, a wave of happiness, love, joy…

What he did not expect was the absolute nothingness of it all

His body, mind, and soul knew the memories were there, they knew of the experience…but there was no recall, there was no image…there weren't even names to go with blurry faces…

And for one terrifying moment, he could not even recall his own name…

He concentrated and in the back of his mind he duly noted a throbbing sensation before a blinding flash of pain overwhelmed him and the memories burst through…

* * *

The early years of his childhood filled with fear and confusion as he wondered why people hated him and the adults never let their children play with him…he recalled sitting at the swing watching as happy families made their way home ready to enjoy a handmade meal while he grimaced at the thought of another bowl of instant ramen

The years in his academy as his teachers sent out of the classroom, gave him rigged tests, and as his classmates laughed at him filled his head. He recalled the way he felt frustrated at never being able to control his chakra and not knowing the reason why…

Then the memories of Iruka filled his thoughts. The first kind teacher who refused to give up on him and encouraged him…even if it was at the pushing of the Sandaime at first…

He remembered his friends…the arguments, the pranks, the rivalry…

Naruto especially remembered the night of his graduation and the weight of new knowledge that came with it…he also remembered curling into his bed and letting out a few silent tears, he didn't cry…but he did let out tears of aching sadness as he finally realized why so many people hated and feared him

Then the memories came faster…

He remembered his team placement, and how happy he was to be placed into a team, ignoring the sadness at Sakura and Sasuke's cold treatment

He remembered their suffering at the hands of the evil cat Tora

He remembered Nami no Kuni and how he learned the true meaning behind the strength of the greatest Shinobi from Haku and the meaning of sacrifice from him and from Zabuza…

He shuddered when the memories of the Chuunin Exams filled his thoughts and with it the death of the Sandaime and the overwhelming sorrow that followed

He felt fear and respect when he met Tsunande, and shuddered at the memories of being flicked with her fingers

He nearly cried when he remembered the feeling of having his best friend shove his hand through his chest

He let out a sigh of content when he remembered his training trip with Jiraiya…

The concern as Gaara was kidnapped and killed and the relief when he was brought back

The determination of his Sage training

Anger at seeing his village destroyed beyond recognition

Understanding at having met Nagato and Konan

Comradeship at having made an understanding with Kurama

And the final battle…

* * *

Naruto brought a hand up to cover his eyes in a habitual attempt to hide his tears…

"**Why did you make yourself remember…why did you allow yourself to be filled with sorrow…why couldn't you forget and move on like all the others?"**

Naruto let out a bitter laugh that held no real malice

"Because…if I allowed myself to forget than I wouldn't be me anymore, would I? All these experiences, all the tears I shed and refused to shed, all the blood I shed and spilled, all the laughter I caused and joined in on…these are the experiences that molded me into me…not my name, not _fate_, but me and my experiences…"

"**But even if you were reincarnated into another life…you would still be you…your soul would be the same and you would have a better life, a family…"**

"It's just as you said…my soul would be the same and it would remember the pain I have gone through and there would always be a part of me that would question the new life…"

"**But why did you want to remember?"**

"So I wouldn't have to change myself…so I wouldn't allow someone else to mold me…this is who I am…I was born a Jinchuuriki and I will die one…and this cycle will continue until time itself ends"

The voice seemed to think for a moment, the long silence somewhat unsettling but not totally uncomfortable

"**If by chance…you were given a chance to live in a world where there is to be similar trouble brewing…would you chose to live in that world?"**

"You know my answer…"

"**Of course you are only human-"**

"I would choose to live in that world…I couldn't stand to look at myself in the mirror if I let a world crumble all because of my selfishness…"

"**You…you continue to amaze me"**

"…"

"**Very well…you have made your choice…I wish you good luck and hope that you will find your rest soon…and find some semblance of happiness in the world you are about to be sent into…"**

"Yeah…so do I"

* * *

A bright white light filled the space, chasing away the endless darkness and leaving a blinding glare in its aftermath

Naruto was gone and the Voice was left to its own thoughts

"**Even in death you are unpredictable Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto…well I guess I should give you a small gift"**

Another bright light filled the room followed by another, only to disappear from sight

* * *

When Naruto opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was that it was no longer dark, and that he was staring into a campfire

The next thing he noticed was the he felt smaller…weaker…and the energy in his body was different yet similar at the same time

And the final thing he noticed was the man beside him staring into the fire, his head nodding as he slept

Looking closely he noticed that the man was actually a boy, probably no older than eighteen…

He was pale, with dark hair and if Naruto had to guess…dark eyes. He had dark bags under his eyes, indicating that he did not get much sleep. His clothing was odd, it consisted of almost all black. However, the feeling that drew Naruto closer to the man was the same feeling he always tried to hide from his friends…

It was the feeling of reaching out to someone, anyone to understand him, to not fear him…to love him

It was this feeling that had Naruto draw closer to the man and touch his cheek

* * *

When Zeref felt the hand on his cheek he released a burst of energy and opened his eyes expecting to see a bloody mess on the ground, another dead body…

What he didn't expect was to see the bright blue eyes of the boy he saved, a boy no older than five staring back at him through the torrent of his dark magic

He was so shocked that his magic died down instantly…causing the torrent to disappear along with it

"Who are you…? No, the proper question should be, what are you…? No one should be able to survive that…"

The child looked at him with eyes that held no fear, no pity, but understanding

And it scared him…it scared Zeref that a child that had met him not even five minutes ago could have those kind of eyes toward him

So in his fear, Zeref did what he always did when threatened or uncertain…he sent a blast of pure magic at the young child in front of him…

It only took a minute for him to realize what he had just done and with that realization, Zeref once again stopped the flow of magic expecting to see a horrid mess of a body, what he didn't expect was to see the child perfectly safe and still staring at him with the same unwavering eyes of someone who has gone through the same pain he has

"Tch…so you survived that you little brat…"

_That's not what I wanted to say…_

Zeref received no answer

"I guess you aren't a complete waste of space after all…so in my kindness I shall allow you to live…leave my presence at once you brat!"

_No…I don't want him to leave me…he is the only one who didn't run in fear_

Zeref waited for the sound of running feet to reach his ears, and when it didn't he opened his eyes and saw that the blue eyes were boring into his soul

"You know mister…if you don't say what you really want to say…you'll forget how to say it at all…believe me, I speak from experience"

"What does a little brat like you know about suffering, about hiding who you really are because the people won't see pass the image they created…the image you are forced to uphold"

"I may not know about your life, but I know what it is like to be labeled a monster, to be feared for something you have no control over, and to constantly maintain an image that others have created for the sake of protecting what little of yourself you have"

"Tch…"

Zeref stood up and left, intending to leave the child behind…

* * *

Naruto sighed as he saw the black haired man walk away and internally smirked to himself

That man has never dealt with Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto…the most stubborn and knuckleheaded ninja in existence…

Standing up and dusting himself off, Naruto packed up the campsite, as a favor to the black haired man, and followed the man, making no effort in hiding his presence

The man was either too distracted to notice, did not care, or worry at all

* * *

It took half a day's time for Zeref to finally acknowledge that he was not alone in his travels and that he had picked up a stray of some sorts

By this time, the constant footsteps behind him were unable to be ignored. There was also the constant chatter in the background, but that was easy to tune out…if sticking his head through the nearest tree was justified as tuning out…

Now, Zeref finally understood the saying 'if you ever give a stray attention, it will follow you around for more'…and what a stray it was

* * *

"Hey, can we stop for some food"

"_You_ can stop, but _I _am going to keep going…"

"Cooooome oooooon…please Mister?"

"No"

"Please…."

"No"

"Please…."

"NO"

"Please…."

"No…will you please shut up!"

"…"

"Thanks you!"

_30 seconds later…_

"I'm bored, let's play a game"

"FINE…we can stop for food"

"No, that's okay…I got some while you were talking to yourself…now I'm bored and I want to play a game"

"…I'm going to KILL you…SLOWLY and PAINFULLY!"

"Sooo…is that a yes?"

* * *

"Let's stop for some ice cream…"

"What the hell is ice cream? I mean who the heck want frozen cream?"

"…Ice cream hasn't been invented?!"

"No…whatever this thing called ice cream is…it doesn't exist!"

_Silence…_

"…is…is he gone?"

_Silence…_

"He's gone! I'm free…free…fr-"

"Hey Mister…I found some Ice cream!"

"Kami-sama…you just hate me…don't you?"

* * *

It took five days, but Zeref finally cracked

_It was a long hard battle of wits, will, and determination…but in the end, Zeref's mighty power stood no chance against the sheer might of-_

"Who the hell are you talking to?! There is no one there!"

* * *

The two sat in front of a campfire, warming their hands in the heat while they waited for the food to finish cooking

"Alright, since you have decided to follow me, I need a name to call you by"

"…Naruto…my name is Naruto"

"What kind of name is that?"

"It's my name…Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto…in the language of my homeland it translates: Uzumaki-it means whirlpool, the name of the land of my mother…a land literally hidden by the whirlpools. Namikaze-water and wind…torrent, and Naruto- fishcake, but it literally is used as Maelstrom…so in total my name means whirlpool torrent Maelstrom, a name of destruction because I will be the one to destroy this current world of hatred and from the mass of destruction, a world of peace will be born…that is why my name is the 'whirling torrent Maelstrom'"

"…that's bull shit"

"What?"

"Why should you be the only one tasked with that responsibility…why should you be the only one to suffer in silence while others live on in ignorance…why should you have to pretend for them, live for them, die for them…be their hero, when no one did that for you?"

"…That's where you're wrong…there were people who lived and died for me…"

"…"

"And I know that you want someone to understand you…someone to love you…someone to tell that they care for you"

"You're wrong"

"No, I'm not…I can hear it, and it is so painful…your heart is crying out…somewhere in that dark abyss is the child that you had to abandon being in order to be this powerful person you are now"

"Shut up…"

"Just think on it mister…when we first met you tried to kill me twice…but since we have been travelling together…you have not released a single amount of malicious intent towards me…"

When that realization came to Zeref, his eyes widened

"B-but…"

"Maybe you aren't ready to accept it yet…but you will…you will understand the value of love, friendship, kindness…the value a human life can hold"

There was a moment of silence

"Then…will you help me understand?"

"Yeah…I will"

"…My name is Zeref…I am called the dark mage, the evil one…because of the type of magic that I use and the fear I instill into people. In truth, I don't really want to hurt others but when I use my magic it seems like I am being consumed…"

"I'll help you…so you don't have to worry about being consumed anymore. I'll be here to pull you out of that abyss"

* * *

While they travelled, Zeref slowly gained an understanding of Naruto; he understood that Naruto would hide his pain, he understood that Naruto would always try to help others, and he understood that it was useless to try and resist

With the understanding, Zeref slowly gained a small amount of affection towards the small blonde, not that he'll admit it…not that he intended to admit it

* * *

It was supposed to be a routine training. Naruto and Zeref were supposed to go into the mountains to battle the ice apes that lived there and Zeref was supposed to use his magic to subdue and not kill the apes and Naruto was supposed to monitor the magic output

They weren't prepared for the Lizard Men that also lived there…

With their horrid humanoid figure covered in sickly green scales, their poisonous fangs and claws, and their mastery over the dark and poison magic…they weren't prepared at all

"Hurry! They're coming faster…we have to get away!"

"Why won't you let me kill them? I could easily wipe away their existence!"

Naruto turned to stare back at Zeref before grabbing Zeref's hand again and running. Naruto didn't answer for a while, but when he did, he didn't bother turning around to look at the man behind him…a man he began to see as his brother and father figure

"Because…you've come so far…don't let your hard work be wasted in the face of danger. One of the key things to remember is that even in the face of danger…even if it seems like all hope is lost…you must never give in to the darkness"

Spotting a cave, Naruto pulled Zeref one final time and ducked into it, chest heaving from exhaustion and lack of oxygen. They waited like that for a few minutes, just sitting and trying to catch their breath. Since the cave was cold, they decided to sit close to each other to conserve body heat.

* * *

"Naruto…why do you insist on helping me? Why do you insist on caring for a monster like me when you can be having fun and be a child…"

"Because…I want to help someone in the way no one ever really helped me…"

"But you are just a little kid…you should be having fun, making friends, learning different types of magic instead of the one I know…"

"…I was never really a kid in the beginning anyway. Always…Always…It's always been about helping others, making sure they're okay and worrying about myself last…I don't even remember how to be selfish anymore, but that's alright, because just this once…for the first time, I am choosing my own path, my way…not the way people expect me take, not the way my sensei wanted me to take…but the way I choose"

Zeref fell silent, contemplating the words of a child wise beyond his years…and it made him sick. It made him sick that the world was cruel enough to turn what should be an innocent child into a tired and weary martyr

The screeching of the Lizard Men broke the quiet of the cave and both occupants immediately acted upon battle ready reflexes. While Zeref made smooth movements, Naruto was a bit clumsy in his movements, his adult memories not quite used to the new feeling of a child's body.

Zeref immediately set up a barrier around the cave, hoping to stave off the attacks for a moment. Glancing around the cave, he found another small passage hidden among the boulders. Grabbing Naruto and throwing him over his shoulders, Zeref ran towards the passage, ignoring Naruto's protests all the way

* * *

A sharp pain in his back forced Zeref to drop Naruto

"I told you I can walk on my own!"

"You little brat! I was trying to help you!"

"…but I can walk on my own…"

"Why don't you let someone carry you for once…why don't you let someone help you…if you don't want to share the burden then at least let someone carry you when you can't carry yourself!"

With those words, Zeref lifted Naruto once more and ran off

"Why do you care…you didn't seem to care so much before"

"Well that was before…but meeting you made me want to change…it made me want to put an end to this hateful world and create a new one, a peaceful one where everyone can use magic without fear, without having to worry about prejudice"

"You do…?"

"Yeah, I do"

Naruto smiled, a blinding and sincere smile that made Zeref's breath catch at the happiness and innocence of it all

_Finally…finally I don't have to carry on alone_

"Then I want to help you! I want to help create this new world!"

"No…"

"What?"

"It should be me helping you. It was you who made me realize this, and it was you who told me that you would put an end to this hatred…so if you'll let me, I want to join you in your mission"

Before Naruto could reply, the walls of the cave burst apart, revealing pissed off Lizard Men.

"Oh shit"

Then they ran

* * *

"Zeref…stop!"

Naruto called out to Zeref just as the dark mage was about to send out a blast of death wave towards the Lizard Men

While it did succeed in stopping the dark mage, the shout caused Zeref to release a huge amount of energy that drained him completely…leaving the two stranded on the top of a mountain with more Lizard Men coming up the mountain

"Why did you stop me?!"

"I already told you before…never give in to the darkness"

"Then what about power? I need the power right now!"

Naruto walked up to Zeref, gave him a hug and walked pass him

"A person can become truly strong when he is protecting someone precious to him"

The dark mage was in awe of the child in front of him, so in awe that he didn't notice the Lizard Men charging up on a spell

That was why Zeref didn't see the attack

Before he noticed there was an explosion, a pained scream, and a body slammed into a body

When the dust cleared, Zeref held a bloodied and nearly unconscious Naruto in his arms

"Why?"

"I told you, if you want to protect somebody, you can become strong…human lives are so precious because they are so fragile…I want you to understand that"

"But why did you protect me? Now you will die!"

"No I won't…I trust in you Zeref. I trust in you to find that light within the darkness. Darkness cannot exist without light, and light doesn't exist without darkness. You just have to find that light and help it shine"

"But I don't have enough strength or magic left"

"You do, it is deep within you, let go of the lock that is keeping your true potential"

With those words, Naruto fell unconscious…

Gently laying down the child, Zeref stood to face the creatures

He didn't notice Naruto open one of his eyes and smile softly

_There is always light Zeref…always_

* * *

Zeref was panting, he was running so low on energy that he should be dead

_**It's the brat's fault…get rid of him**_

Zeref slowly raised his hands, but something made him stop

"_Zeref, let's go get some ice-cream!"_

"_Zeref, come play with me!"_

"_I'm scared Zeref, I'm scared of the dark…I'm scared that I won't be able to see the light anymore"_

"_You know Zeref, even though we haven't known each other that long…I think of you as my older brother and father! You are the first person to say that they wanted to help carry my burden with me…thank you"_

Zeref slowly lowered his hand and got in a protective stance in front of Naruto, his magic humming to life

"Damned brat…making me care for you…"

Looking deep within himself, Zeref searched and searched, but all he saw was darkness, an endless and cold darkness

The Lizard Men got closer and closer, their breath reeked of death

But in the darkness, Zeref could see the outline of a ball of light, it was warm and felt so good, but he could see a lock surrounding it, a lock that seemed to try and smother the light. With the last of his strength, he blasted open the lock and let the energy flood him

The Lizard Men froze as a wave of energy washed over them, Zeref open his eyes to reveal dark eyes, brimming with power

In that moment all the Lizard Men knew they were dealing with something more than a normal mage, but before they could do anything, they were blasted away…but not killed

Looking down at the brat, Zeref muttered a few words

"You win"

Naruto opened his eyes lazily and saw the worried face of Zeref staring down at him

"…You seem different…but a good kind of different"

Zeref let out a weak smile and chuckle at that comment, it was light and airy, no longer burdened by the opressing darkness now that it had some light

"You were right; I guess that I can become stronger by caring for others and wanting to protect them"

Naruto let a smile grace his features

"Yeah…you can, that was something someone told me a long, long time ago"

* * *

_**A few years later…**_

* * *

"Why?"

Naruto had tears running down his face as he looked into the cold, dead eyes of the dark mage in front of him

"Because I can…because this is true power"

"Stop…please stop"

The screams of the people echoed around him as the building turned to ash. Mages of all kind were running around trying to help as many as they could. Others were trying to get closer to the dark mage but were stopped by an invisible force

"I don't want to stop"

Zeref bared his teeth in a feral grin, his dark eyes glinting with insanity…but underneath that insanity, there was a fight, a fight for control

"Don't let the darkness consume you…don't let it eat away at your heart!"

Zeref raised his arms, a dark spell gathering at his fingertips

Naruto stared into the dark eyes, and nodded in understanding. He knew what was going to happen, and he knew he had to trust that the Zeref he knew was fighting. So Naruto closed his eyes and let the dark light wash over him

"I'm sorry Zeref…I thought I could help you more. I'm sorry for letting you down…good-bye"

The black light flooded the area, revealing nothing when it cleared

Zeref turned away, a tear trailing down his face

"I'm sorry…so, sorry"

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes to see electric blue orbs staring back at him…It took him a minute to realize the giant orbs were actually eyes, and those eyes belonged to the creature in front of him

**"Hey Kid…you awake?"**

* * *

I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR FAIRY TAIL

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	2. Chapter 2

I DO NOT OWN FARIY TAIL OR NARUTO!

Naruto stared for a moment, staring at the giant creature in front of him…or more accurately, over him. With its large shimmering body, the pale golden scales seemed to reflect the light of the sun, making hundreds of flashes of light dance across the creature's body. It took a moment, but Naruto realized that the flashes of light were actually flashes of lightning, and if he had to guess, the pale golden scales were probably a whitish color reflecting the golden rays of the sun.

Staring at the creature in front of him, Naruto tried to make sense of what kind of creature he was dealing with at the moment. As he thought about it, a name made its way into his mind a whispered the name of the creature, dragon…When the realization came to him, Naruto's eyes widened and he felt the air leave his body as he mouth felt dry.

While Naruto was lost in thought, the dragon stared at the young child in front of him. The child's golden hair and azure eyes that would speak innocence seemed to radiate sadness, as if the child who looked like light had been pushed into darkness.

_Such darkness and sadness from a young soul…it makes me sick to see how humans can destroy themselves so easily_

The dragon regarded Naruto one more time before speaking

"Who are you child? Who are you to brazenly come onto my territory?"

Naruto started at the sound of the dragon's voice…he had expected the sound of booking thunder or roaring waves, or better yet, crashing rocks…but this dragon's voice was nearly silent, smooth…and deadly. The dragon's voice spoke of imminent danger and destruction, yet natural beauty…it was alluring

"I will not ask again, who are you?"

Naruto held his ground staring into the golden eyes of the dragon, his own eye unyielding. The bright azure eyes bored into the eyes of the dragon, seeming to penetrate through the eyes to the soul.

Letting out a small sigh, Naruto gave an answer

"My name is Naruto…Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto"

The dragon stared into the eyes of the child in front of him, the golden eyes glowing…

_Naruto…? Where have I heard that name from…why do I feel like that name is supposed to be important…_

The dragon was shaken form his thoughts as Naruto spoke, his voice soft but firm, childish yet weary…

"And you…who are you?"

The dragon let out a little snort at that, flickers of lightning dancing across his body in amusement as his eyes sparkled in mirth. His maw opened into a wide and slightly cruel smirk

"My name…? You think you are worthy of my name…you a mere and insignificant human dares ask me for my name?! Hahahahaha!"

Unrelenting blue eyes held the dragon's stare, seeming to find no amusement as they held a blank and serious look

"Is it not courtesy to introduce oneself after getting an introduction?"

"It is common courtesy to do so, but in dragon culture, we only introduce ourselves to other dragons or dragon slayers…and you are neither"

Naruto nodded once, his golden locks shimmering with the movement

"I see…I apologize for being so impertinent…"

The dragon stared at the small boy in wonder, something tickling the back of his thoughts

"You…do not speak as the other humans speak, your speech is more refined, older…and distanced. That way of speaking hasn't been heard for over four hundred years."

At that statement Naruto's eyes widened, the normally bright azure eyes turning into a pale slate grey with shock, the healthy tanned skin seemed to turn a pasty white…

"Four…four _hundred_ years?! Dragon, is what you say true?"

"Of course it is child, why do you think I was speaking in such an 'informal' manner?"

"Frankly at first I thought that you were just rude and brash, then I thought the way you spoke was the way dragon's spoke…but if what you say is true…then…"

"Then…then what? Child, what nonsense are you speaking? Are you trying to say that-"

Naruto shook his head and put on a fake smile

"No, I just realized that my guardian taught me to speak in a manner that was way behind the times"

The dragon narrowed his eyes in suspicion but let the suspicion slide on the basis that the alternative was plain impossible. The dragon stared at Naruto, his golden eyes seemingly ageless with their wisdom.

_Hmmm…maybe it's time I get a brat for myself…even that idiot Igneel got himself a brat_

"Hey kid…how about you become a dragon slayer?"

* * *

Naruto dodged an oncoming strike but flipping backwards; he felt a dead of sweat trickle down his temple as he saw the boulder he was on disintegrate. Using the walls of the canyon, Naruto jumped to the sky and yelled down at the dragon

"Are you crazy you overgrown lizard?! That could have killed me!"

He then charged his body with electricity and dropped down, using the electrical currents running around him to quicken his descent by attracting himself to the dragon below him

The dragon dodged lazily

Naruto slammed into the hard and unforgiving ground, his feet leaving imprints

"Damn it you over grown lizard, just stay still so I can hit you!"

Due to the frustration, Naruto reverted back into his brash way of talking, much to the amusement of the dragon beside him

"Hoo~ and what will you do about it….chibi"

"Damn you! You-you lizard"

The aforementioned 'lizard' lazily swatted Naruto into the walls of the canyon before yawning

"You think an enemy will stand still and wait for you to land a hit on them? In a real battle you would be getting the shit beat out of you"

Naruto flopped onto his back and stared at the dragon

"Why can't I land a hit on you?"

"It's because you don't have the killer intent…even after mastering Dragon Force…you don't have the will to kill"

"I'm scared…I'm scared of power; power corrupts, it makes people lose their way…it makes them…it makes them give into the darkness"

"What happened to the boy who yelled himself hoarse shouting at me when I judged you for the magic that you know…?"

Naruto closed his eyes and basked in the gentle warmth of the sun as the trees danced in the wind; he let the memories wash over him and completely fill his thoughts

_Has it really been seven years…? It seems like just yesterday that I…._

* * *

**Flashback**

Naruto growled in frustration as the magic dispersed once more. He had been working on the technique for months and he still hadn't grasped it.

"Damn it!"

The dragon stared in amusement as his charge seemed to lose his temper. It was in rare moments of complete frustration that Naruto seemed to slip into the more modern ways of speaking…when it came to cussing

"Over-grown Lizard, why can't I get this magic right?! I've done everything you told me…but why won't the magic stay?"

_I suppose I can throw him a bone once in a while…_

"You have to let the magic take over you…Dragon Force is not a simple magic where you can control magic…you have to 'become' the magic that you use. This means you have to 'become' a dragon"

"I have to let the magic…take over me?"

Naruto closed his eyes and let all thoughts fade away. He took a deep breath. The world seemed to still around them, not even the wind blew, almost as if afraid to break the concentration

_Hoo~ did he finally get-_

A wave of dark magic flooded the area, knocking over the trees and causing the walls of the canyon to crumble down. The animals hurried away in fear, the flowers seemed to wilt, and the sky darkened, announcing a storm

_This…this is-_

"Stop!"

Just as quickly as it came, the crushing pressure disappeared, leaving only a confused Naruto staring at the dragon in…confusion while the dragon stared at Naruto with something akin to fear on his features

"What-what the hell was that?!"

"Magic…?"

"I know that! I meant the type of magic that you used…it…that magic is forbidden!"

Forbidden…forbidden because of humanity's irrational fear of the unknown. Even know…four hundred years into the future…people still judged Zeref based on his actions and not his personality…a personality they didn't bother to get to know. Those people…they made up a villain to hate…and when he became a villain, they turned all the blame on him, especially the damned Magic Council. At the thought of those fools Naruto grit his teeth in anger. He would make them pay; he would make them pay for making Zeref suffer, for making him into a villain.

"Naruto! Are you listening to me?! That magic is evil and it corrupts people!"

Naruto whipped his head around to meet the face of the dragon. Instead of bright azure eyes, crimson red eyes met the dragon's face as whisker marks began to appear

"You're wrong! Power doesn't corrupt people! It doesn't!"

"What are you talking about?! That dark magic isn't power, it's evil!"

"It's not evil! Humans are evil! Humans and their fear and hatred for things they do not understand are evil, but power, magic it's not evil. How can something sure pure and elemental be labeled as evil?! It's the wielder who makes it evil…and sometimes…it's other people who create a monster for the sake of having a monster to blame all their problems on…"

The last sentence was barely over a whisper, but the dragon heard it. He heard the utter despair and anger in those last few words that just for a moment he wondered if the child was really only six years old…

_It's a shame to see such a young child who is already familiar with the darkness in the world_

"What you say is true enough…but that type of magic is forbidden for a reason…that magic is the magic used by the dark mage Zeref who razed hundreds of towns and created thousands of demons…it is a magic that can drive the greatest of mages mad."

Naruto looked into the eyes of the dragon, his crimson eyes slowly fading back into the azure

"I thought dragons would be different…I thought that they would understand human foolishness and understand what humans do to each other…but I guess that dragons are a little _too_ much like humans"

With that said, Naruto took off into the woods, not looking back

"Wait-"

_Damn it! That brat went into the Dark Forest…he'll be killed by the Lizard Men who dwell there…they hate mages and devour them whenever they get the chance…but they especially hate dark mages, and with the amount of dark magic that little brat released, he just painted a neon orange target on himself_

* * *

Naruto wiped away the tears, as he ran through the forest

_Stupid dragon…he doesn't know what he's talking about_

A blur of green swept into his vision before Naruto found himself flying through the forest and knocking over the trees. When he finally stopped, it was because his back had hit a boulder, knocking the air out of his system

When the spots disappeared from his vision, Naruto could make out grotesque reptilian-like men. Something tickled the back of his mind as he stared at the creatures, something from a memory long ago…

_Are those…? But they look different…more…ugly_

As if reading his thoughts, the Lizard Men bared their fangs and lunged at Naruto. The cold spray of their venom hit him straight in the face, but Naruto remained stoic and calmly wiped off the venom as his eyes slowly bled to red

"I'm lucky…you guys found me; it saves me the work of having to go out and find something to relieve my stress"

With those words, Naruto lunged at the Lizard Men, shadows gathering around him…

Naruto stared blankly at the bodies that lay in a crumpled heap at his feet. He slowly rolled one of the bodies over with his foot and stared down at the Lizard Man with cold, dead eyes. He raised his hand to land the finishing blow when images passed in front of his eyes

His hand faltered, dissipating the dark orb within his hand as his hand started trembling with the effort of keeping it in place.

He heard a pathetic whimper of a sound as he stared down at the Lizard Men…once they were proud creatures, intelligent, capable of magic…but the Lizard Men here seemed to be a bastardized version of the originals

The whimper broke into his thoughts once more as the pathetic creature seemed to struggle to get away. He made the mistake of looking it directly in the eyes…

Naruto lowered his hand, his eyes shadowed

"Tch….You're lucky today"

He walked away

* * *

When Naruto reached the clearing in the forest, he stood in the center of the clearing and gazed into the wide open sky. The thousands of stars twinkled in the obsidian dark sky, lighting a trail for the wanderers

A single star raced across the distance as a single tear fell across his cheek

* * *

_Naruto pointed to the night sky as a star shot across the sky_

"_Hey….Zeref, do you ever wonder why there are stars in the night sky?"_

_The dark mage stared down at the young child, a small, almost unnoticeable smile upon his face. He seemed to be in deep thought as he brought a hand to the small child's head_

"_Let's see…if I remember correctly…a shooting star-"_

_Naruto interrupted with a smile upon his face_

"_It grants wishes right?!"_

_Zeref chuckled…Naruto smiled at the sound. Zeref rarely smiled, and he even more rarely showed his amusement in laughter_

"_Well…maybe they do, but if everyone granted a wish on that star…the whose wish would come true?"_

"…_I don't know"_

"_See…that's what it doesn't make sense"_

_Naruto pouted at the man in front of him, his blue eyes shining indignantly_

"_Then what do the shooting stars do?"_

_Zeref smile down at his young friend and sat down, motioning for Naruto to do the same. He blinked in surprise when Naruto sat down in his lap, the blond hair tickling his chin. Zeref hesitated for a moment before wrapping one arm around the blonde and pointed at the starry sea within the sky_

"_Long ago, when the world was first born, the sky was dark…and the people despaired for the nights during that time were harsh and cold…and dark, so very dark. There wasn't any light for the people to see. It was during this time that the monsters were able to snatch the children away because no one could see what was happening and stop them."_

_Naruto stared up at Zeref a questioning look in his eyes_

"_What does this have to do with stars?"_

"_Just wait…okay let's see…well, the people prayed for a way to end the darkness, but nothing happened, not for a while at least. Then one day, a young mother lost three of her children that night. Worried for her last and youngest child, she prayed, she hoped, she yelled into the night sky, for some way to end the darkness, a way for the wishes of the people to come true. The gods of the world, having heard her plea for help, felt sympathy for the young mother and turned her into the moon so she could light the sky, and keep watch over her last child. The child, wanting to be with his mother wished for a way so that he would always be by her side. He became a star…the first star that you see at night."_

"_But…what about the other stars and the shooting stars?"_

_Zeref continued on as if he never heard Naruto who huffed in annoyance_

"_The gods, having seen the light that the pure wishes of the heart had made, put the wished of all the people into the sky. The stars are the wishes of the people, that one true wish from the heart, the wish that shines the brightest. So, the beauty of the pure hearts of the people lit the once dark sky"_

_Naruto stared into the sky, his eyes shining with wonder_

"_So many wishes…so beautiful…Do you see Zeref, the wished of the people light the world! This means that humans can be beautiful and pure"_

"_So I see…"_

"_Hey, hey…what about shooting stars"_

"_Well…the shooting stars are when the wish is no longer needed"_

_Naruto twisted his body around and looked straight into the dark mage's eyes and saw a twinkle in there that he very, very rarely saw…_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_A star drops from the sky when the wish of that person is fulfilled; it makes way for the wish of a child who was born into the world"_

_Naruto eyes turned to the sky once more and his eyes looked saddened_

"_That's so sad…there are so many wishes up there that haven't been granted"_

_Zeref ruffled Naruto's hair and pointed to the sky once more…_

"_Watch"_

_As he said those words, hundreds of starts shot across the sky, their silvery tails lighting the dark world with their brilliance. As Naruto stared into the sky, he saw new pricks of light, shining brightly_

"_It's beautiful…"_

"_See…that's why the sky is so full…there are always new wishes being born every night"_

_Naruto was silent for a moment…_

"_Do…do you think my wish can be up there?"_

"_Why not?"_

_I wish that…I wish that people will understand each other, so that one day, Zeref won't be so lonely anymore_

_Naruto looked up in wonder as a new star shone brighter and bigger than the rest before illuminating that sky alongside the other wishes_

"_Did you wish for something?"_

_Naruto nodded, his eyes still fixed on his star_

"_What did you wish for?"_

_Turning his head, the light catching on the blonde locks, Naruto hid a smile_

"_It's a secret!"_

"_Then I hope that your wish comes true"_

* * *

Naruto crumpled to the ground as he saw the stars race across the sky, the tears racing down his cheek as he bit back a sob. He brought a hand to his mouth the muffle the sounds that escaped. His body shook from the effort of keeping in the sobs that threatened to rack his body with pain and sorrow.

When he saw the star that seemed to be alone in the sky, off to the side by itself, Naruto let out a wail of sorrow as the sobs racked his body. The tears stained the ground as he let the sorrow run its course

"Why?! Why does the world have to be so cruel?!"

He glared up at the stars…past the stars, trying to see the god that watched over the world

"Why?! Why are you so cruel? Aren't you supposed to love everyone in this world? Why would create such a cruel world?"

Naruto paused to catch his breath as he curled up on his side, the tears still running down, but at a slower pace. His eyelids drooped as he felt the exhaustion wash over him

"Why…why did you let the world be so…cruel to a …good person? Why, tell me why…"

Naruto closed his eyes and let sleep overtake his body

* * *

When he opened his eyes, Naruto found himself staring into the golden eyes of the dragon in front of him

A mutual understanding seemed to pass by them, a small nod and a tentative smile said it all as Naruto once again stood next to the dragon and ran a hand across its hide, and reveled in the warmth of the large body

**end flashback**

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes and stared into the setting sun

"One more time…I'll definitely land a hit on you this time"

They stood facing each other, the moon illuminating the sky as the thousand of stars twinkled

A single leaf blew past them

When it passed, the two flew into action as lightning sparks seemed to dance under the cloudless night. Seeing the stars gave Naruto a new resolve as his eyes took on the slit form of a dragon's and the energy flowed throughout his body

"**Rairyuu no Hoko!"**

The attack missed but gave enough time for Naruto let the magic finish running through his body

Sparks danced across his body as his eyes flew open, revealing the golden eyes of the Lightning Dragon

"**Dragon Force"**

Naruto disappeared and reappeared next to the unsuspecting dragon and brought down a claw of lightning upon the dragon, knocking him into the wall

_You did it…Naruto_

The magic disappeared as Naruto let out a smile

"Hah…I did it you overgrown lizard!"

He closed his eyes and let sleep overcome him once more

* * *

The dragon stared at his slayer, a smile gracing his features. He could now be at peace, now that he knew his slayer was ready for what was coming

As the dragon stared into the distance, he felt at peace…peace he hadn't felt since Acnologia disappeared

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes to find the dragon ready to take flight

"Where are you going?"

The dragon turned around so quickly that he knocked over a row of trees in his way. He hadn't expected the brat to wake up. He mentally cursed himself for not being quick enough

"I'm leaving"

"Oh…when are you coming back?"

"I don't know…maybe never. I'm going somewhere you can't follow"

"Then I'll wait for you. I'll wait so that we can have a rematch, when I'm stronger, faster, and mature. I'll wait for you to come find me"

The dragon hesitated

"Naruto, I might never see you again"

"Come find me…I'll be waiting, even if I have to wait forever, so this isn't good-bye, it's 'see you later'…okay?"

The dragon hesitated once more before shrugging his shoulders and watching as some of his scales fell to the ground. He took one of his giant whiskers and used strands of it to weave the scales together so that it formed a muffler with a hood attached to it. He then pulled off one of his smaller tooth and carved it so that it made a horn on the left side of the hood.

"Take this…it's my first and last present to you. It will be a promise that I will find you someday. Since it is made from parts of me, the scales will expand and shrink to fit your needs…I expect to hear amazing things about you"

Naruto took the muffler and wrapped it around himself and pulled the hood up

"Thank you…"

"Adtontitus"

"What?"

"That's my name…Adtontitus, you as my dragon slayer have earned my name"

* * *

I DO NOT OWN FARIY TAIL OR NARUTO!


	3. Chapter 3

The people in the stand stared in wonder at the young boy who consumed the food at an alarming pace. It seemed to them that he didn't even take the time to chew his food before it went down his throat and into his amazingly flat stomach. To the relief of the townspeople and the disappointment of the boy who was eating, the stand ran out of food. Sighing in disappointment, Naruto gave the owner the money he owed and stepped away from the stand, intent on finding a place to stay for the night while he restocked on his supplies and figured out where he would find a job. Glancing into the blazing noonday sun, Naruto adjusted his cloak so that it rested as a mere scarf around his neck before walking towards a rather decent looking inn.

He waved to the people passing by and smiled when he received waves and kind smiles in return. The town was so full of life and love that he couldn't help but feel the same amount of happiness when he saw the happiness of the people. Naruto heard the thunder and glanced up at the sky, noticing the incoming thunderstorm, the clouds dark and heavy with rain.

With a bright flash of lightning and loud clap of thunder, the rain poured down on the unsuspecting people, drenching them. However, the rain had no effect on the jovial mood as adults ducked into cafes and stored while children danced in the rain and jumped into the puddles…

As Naruto walked, he couldn't help but remember the last time he was in the very same town. Back then, it was just starting out and was rather small and unimpressive in every way possible.

As Naruto thought more and more about the past, he could see the scenery change. Letting out a small and melancholy smile, Naruto sat down on the edge of the fountain and let the memories wash over him…

The fountain he was sitting on turned into an unimpressive stone bench

The stone roads turned into muddy and dangerous roads

The bustling town square turned into an abandoned village center

The crowd-filled stands turned into the few vendors desperately trying to sell their items

And as Naruto watched, the happy faces of the children and adults turned into the solemn and downtrodden faces of their ancestors

* * *

**Flashback**

_Naruto held the pale hand tightly as they walked into the village. He wasn't really used to the amount of people he saw, even though there were less than a hundred people. It had just been him and Zeref for the last couple of weeks, but because they ran out of supplies, they needed to restock and the village was the best option they had at the moment._

_Naruto glanced at the people's faces and felt confusion at the solemn and downtrodden expressions the faces held. He knew it was raining and the road wasn't all that great, but it was no real reason to be so grim. Holding his cloak tighter around himself, Naruto clutched Zeref's hand even tighter, causing the older male to glance at his young companion in confusion_

"_Why do the people look so sad?"_

_Zeref seemed to think for a moment before answering his young companion in the best way that he could_

"_I think it is because this village is a poor and small village, standing under the shadow of much larger villages that the people will go to instead of stopping by this one."_

_Naruto's blue eyes stared questioningly at the older mage, a thousand inquiries glinting in the endless ocean that were his eyes_

"_That's so sad…"_

_Zeref nodded his agreement, the mage's dark hair shadowing his eyes as he glared at what he considered pathetic humans. As if reading his thoughts, Naruto tugged Zeref's hand and smiled at the dark mage, gesturing towards a small stand selling medical supplies and another selling food._

"_Let's get out supplies and explore this place; maybe it will have something interesting"_

_Letting out a fake sigh of frustration, Zeref nodded before letting out a small smile. Naruto was the only one he considered pure in this filthy world…_

* * *

_It was really heartbreaking to see how ecstatic the people were at having a mere two visitors to their village. The way their faces lit up with hope when Naruto and Zeref stopped by their stand to buy something broke something in Naruto. Their faces gaunt with stress at figuring out ways to keep their families fed and their eyes hollow with lack of hope, made Naruto think of a time when he once had the same gaunt face because of lack of care and the same hollow eyes because at one point he had given up hope…_

_Noticing how affected his young companion was at the faces of the vendors, Zeref sent Naruto off to go and explore the village _

_Not needing a second encouragement, Naruto nodded to Zeref, promising to meet him at the stone bench by twilight before running off. Zeref stared at the retreating back of his young friend before going on his way to gather supplies and a room for the night._

* * *

_Naruto wandered the village, noticing the solemn looks on the children. Some of the children were older than him, looking six or seven and even twelve; others were younger, holding the hands of their brothers and sisters._

_Deciding that he couldn't stand the looks on their faces, he decided to tell a story, a small tale from a long time ago. Watching the eager faces of the crowd of children, Naruto took a deep breath and began his tale…_

"_This is a story from a place that doesn't exist anymore…a place far, far away. Once, there was an amazing kingdom of towers. The towers reached the sky and seemed to touch heaven itself. It was a beautiful kingdom, but what made it all the more beautiful was the fact that it was in the middle of a desert."_

_One of the children raised his hand, a confused look on his face_

"_How can a kingdom exist in the middle of a desert if there is nothing in the desert?"_

_Naruto laughed while the children looked confused at his response to the legitimate question. _

"_I was getting to that…"_

_The child that asked the question blushed_

"_You see…the kingdom was located over an underground source of power…it was because of that reason the kingdom was created. Because the power was so great, the people of the world decided that they would create a kingdom tasked with protecting the power from villains. For a long time the kingdom prospered and the royal family was happy alongside the citizens. Then one day, a villain who had coveted the power decided that he would use any means to get to it. He killed the queen of the country and began manipulating her young daughter so that he could gain her trust and eventually the power hidden underneath the kingdom"_

_The faces of the children were in total awe as they listened to the blonde. Even some adults had wandered over to listen to Naruto tell his tale_

"_Blinded by the villain who posed as her royal advisor, the princess, who was now queen, became blind to the suffering of the people. Slowly but surely the kingdom was headed towards downfall. But luckily, there was someone who knew how evil the man was and followed him to the kingdom…for you see… both the villain and the hero had been thrown back in time by the dormant power of the tower. The hero, knowing who the advisor really was tried to convince the Queen, but the Queen would not believe him. One day, the young Queen was attacked and found herself underground, meeting a group of people who looked just like the citizens in her kingdom. From them she learned that everyone she had interacted with had been a puppet created by her advisor, the villain."_

_At this revelation, everyone gasped. Some at the sheer horror of it all, others at the sheer magical talent of the man to be able to control that many puppets at once_

"_Now knowing the truth, the Queen wanted to give up, for the man, whom she had trusted all these years, was the very same man who had killed her mother. The hero, seeing the despair on the Queen's face, stepped forward and offered her himself as her sword and shield. Together, the young Queen and the hero defeated the villain and restored peace and tranquility to her kingdom. His task done, the young hero began to disappear back to his own time, but he left behind his sword. When the hero opened his eyes, he saw the ruins of the kingdom"_

_At this everyone looked confused, some even fussing and arguing amongst themselves_

_Naruto continued speaking; and the crowd hushed, eager to hear the end of the story_

"_From the shadows stepped out a young woman, the spitting image of the Queen. In her hand she held the hero's blade. She then told the hero about her mother who received the blade from a hero a long time ago. Her mother, having seen what people would do to her kingdom for its power, took all the people within the kingdom and left, letting the kingdom and the power hidden within it, fall to the cruel hands of time. Knowing that he had done his job, the hero faced the sun and walked away, perhaps to start a whole new adventure…"_

_The crowd clapped at the end of Naruto's story, tears in their eyes as they gained a renewed hope for their small village_

* * *

"_That was a nice story you told them…"_

_Naruto choked on his bread as Zeref spoke. After coughing his bread back up, Naruto had the decency to blush and look embarrassed._

"_You heard that?"_

_Zeref nodded with a look of amusement on his face as he stared at his young companion. Yet on his amused face there was a look of curiosity._

"_Where did you hear that story? You said it is a story from a place that doesn't exist anymore right?"_

_Naruto looked down at his piece of bread before setting back on the table. He then stared at the candle in the middle of the table, watching as it danced_

"_The story is not one hundred percent true…I took a lot of things out and tweaked a few things to avoid any unnecessary questions. That story is a story from my homeland…"_

_Seeing the distant look on his friend's face, Zeref decided to withhold his questions for another day…for another time_

* * *

_From the shadows, Naruto watched as a little girl helped her dad with his mining by moving all the useless rocks aside and keeping her siblings occupied by making them pieces of jewelry from the rocks she moved. He had to admit that the young girl was talented at making beautiful things. Feeling some sympathy for the girl, Naruto walked up to her and asked to by a necklace made up of shiny black stones._

"_But this isn't pretty at all"_

"_It's alright, it's really pretty for being made out of just stones"_

_Sighing the young girl gave Naruto the necklace but looked up at him with determined eyes_

"_When my papa, finds the prettiest stones, I'll make you a beautiful piece of jewelry, so come back for it alright?"_

_Naruto pulled on her pigtails and laughed_

"_Alright"_

"_Don't treat me like a little girl, little boy! Just wait, you'll see. Our mine will hold the prettiest of all stones! Do you hear me kid?"_

**Flashback end**

* * *

"Kid!"

Naruto snapped his eyes open as he stared at the spitting image of the girl he talked to all those years ago

_I never did go back for that jewelry she promised me_

"Are you alright? I've been calling your name for a while now"

Naruto smiled at the girl and nodded his head

"I'm fine…I was just getting lost in memories"

The girl nodded as if she understood. She sat down next to him and brought out an apple for herself and giving him one. The girl stared up at the sky and sighed deeply

"I wish I could get lost in memories. I wish I could be a little girl innocently making rock jewelry again…I don't understand why my family refuses to get rid of that useless mine…it hasn't produced anything"

"Can I see the mine?"

* * *

As he had suspected, the mine was the very same mine he had seen years ago. There was even an old man mining while a young girl made necklaces out of the rocks. Naruto sighed in disappointment; he had been hoping that the family would find something, but…

The girl grabbed his hand and told Naruto to follow her into the mine. As the duo passed the little girl making jewelry, the older girl told her sister to behave while she showed Naruto around

"Why bother Nee-san? This mine is useless; it only produces useless shiny rocks"

"Don't say that! Papa will find something…"

The little girl looked up at her sister with blank eyes

"You don't believe that…"

"I do…in fact, when Papa finds the precious stones, I will make this kid here a beautiful piece of jewelry he can be proud of!"

For a brief moment, Naruto saw the image of the girl he had talked to four hundred years ago, but as he blinked the image disappeared, leaving Naruto to think that it was all his imagination

"Nee-san, I love you but don't you think it's time to give up on foolish dreams?"

The girl stared at her sister in horror and blinked back tears before grabbing his arm and storming into the mine, ignoring her little sister's call. She even ignored her father's call.

* * *

Deeper and deeper they went into the mine. The shadows seemed to grow larger and larger.

"I can't believe my sister!"

Naruto felt confusion at the girl's attitude and decided to voice his confusion out loud

"Didn't you have the same opinion only moments before?"

Before he knew it, the girl had smacked his head, leaving a slight bruise to both his head and his pride

"I know that! But I want to appear happy for Papa…he needs all the happiness he can get"

As the duo reached the middle of the mine in which a clearing had been created, a loud rumble echoed throughout the mine before the rocks started collapsing around them, trapping them in place

The light flickered before it blew out, leaving the two in total darkness. From above he could hear the panicked yells of the father and sister, but he knew that it was useless to try and call out to them because the noise would cause more rocks to fall

To his right, he could hear soft crying. As he reached out to comfort the girl, his hand knocked down a stone…

"I just wanted us to be happy. I don't care if I seem like a fool, but for Papa's sake I will continue to hope and to pray"

"What if you never find any precious stones? What will you do then?"

Naruto couldn't see her face, but he knew that the girl was furiously wiping her tears and glaring at his general location

"He will find it! Our family has treasured this mine for a long time, so there is bound to be something!"

"So this mine is precious to you?"

"Yes…and I won't let anyone talk bad about it. The only ones allowed to do that are people in my family who know the bitter taste"

Naruto let a small smile cross his features

"I have a question for you…"

"What is it?"

"Were you telling the truth when you said you would make me a piece of jewelry out of the first few stones you found?"

"Of course I was! I don't lie! You might have to come back around but I will have it for you, just you wait!"

Naruto chuckled as he remembered the girl from the mine four hundred years ago. He never got her name, he shouldn't have even remembered her, but coming back to the town made him feel nostalgic for simpler times. He felt a yearning for times when it was just Zeref and him wandering the world and stopping by small little villages. It was nice to stop at a village where the rumors of a dark mage hadn't spread…it was nice to have a little hope for redemption

"That's the spirit. Never give up, even if the world calls you a fool, hold your head up high and look them straight in the eyes and say 'that's right, I'm a fool…but if it means holding onto my dreams, I would gladly be a fool than a coward who gives up'"

"That's really good advice…but how can someone like me, who everyone call a rock-girl, have the courage to do that?"

Naruto held out the rock he knocked over to her, drawing in closer so he could vaguely make out her shape

"Well did you know, that sometimes…even a rock is hiding a jewel underneath"

With that, he opened the rock. At the same time a burst of sunlight came through the cracks as the father and sister cleared away the rocks around the duo. As the sunlight streamed through, it illuminated crystals within the rock, making the aquamarine colored rocks sparkled and shine…

The girl held half of the rock close to her heart and wept tears of joy

"At last…I was waiting for this day for so long…at last…"

As he saw the girl weep and weep, the faint image of another girl was visible laying a hand on the shoulder of the weeping girl. There was a nod and a smile towards Naruto's direction before the image disappeared…

_At last...I can fulfill my promise to you through this girl…_

* * *

Naruto heard the sound of someone chasing after him as he hefted his bag and prepared to leave the town. He had been here for three days and it was time to get moving. He figured he would come back to this town one day to pick up his promised jewelry…this time he would come back.

Just as he was about to step out of the town's border he heard someone call his name

"Wait…please wait!"

Pausing in mid-step, Naruto turned around and stared at the girl who was chasing him and in her hand she held a small satin box. Curious, Naruto walked to meet her midway and waited for her to begin speaking.

The girl paused to catch her breath with her hands on her knees as she bent of over panting in exhaustion. She held up a finger to him as she coughed to clear her airways before snapping back up straight, startling Naruto

"I…have…it…I finished….it….last….night"

It took him a moment to decipher what she was saying through her pants

"You finished it?"

"Yes…"

The girl held up the satin box to him, and waited for him to take it and open it. Carefully and gently, Naruto took the box into his hands and held his breath. The girl nodded towards him, a smile on her face as she gestured for him to hurry and open the box. Almost agonizingly, Naruto slowly opened the box and felt his breath catch when he saw the necklace that lay in the box.

Noticing the look on his face the girl's smile faded as she furrowed her brows in confusion and worry

"Is it not good?"

Naruto shook his head and let out a laugh, pulling on the girl's pig tails

"It's wonderful…thank you"

Smacking away his hand, the girl let out a haughty laugh before smiling at him

"I know, this is my level of skill…little boy"

"I'm not little…I'm already twelve years old!"

She laughed at him before patting his head and walking away, her hair swaying in the wind. Up on the hill, Naruto could make out the figure of a man and a little girl who were waving. She gave him one more smile before running up to meet her family…

As she left, Naruto brought out the necklace and let out a chuckle once more as he held the necklace to the sun, the crystal glittering and refracting the light

The blue crystal hung on the leather cord with two small silver bells on either side of it…

"How ironic…"

* * *

Naruto walked through the town with his head down to avoid any unnecessary troubles. The sun was high in the sky and the light of the sun's rays caused his crystal to glint, catching the eye of many thugs, but as they stared into his slit blue eyes, they decided not to take the crystal off the boy. As Naruto walked further into the town, he couldn't help but feel just a little lonely. It had been so long since he had a companion to actually walk and talk with him.

He felt the sun's rays on his face and let the warmth spread throughout his body. The warmth of the sun temporarily chased away the icy cold of loneliness. He basked in that temporary warmth…vowing to find a way to keep it within him

If only he had a companion…

"_Naruto…one thing that people don't really know about dark magic is that is has the power to create beings from your imagination…"_

"_What kind of beings…?"_

"_Any kind that you want…monsters…or friends…."_

As Naruto saw some pieces of bright red fabric being sold and stuffed animals, he had an idea…a dangerous and stupid idea but an idea to end his loneliness. Walking up to the vendor, Naruto bought some cotton, cloth, needle, thread, and glossy stones. He then bought some picture books and manuals on how to sew.

He passed by many shops, choosing to observe the detail of the works. At some shops, he was chased away while at others the store owners kindly offered him some advice. There was a variety of things he saw…some were realistic, looking fearsome and evil, others were cute and fluffy. As Naruto continued to walk around the town, he stopped by a small store and noticed a small glass pendant. The pendant itself was circular and small, but it was glassy and looked to be a blue-green shade. He bought the pendant along with a small leather strip of fabric

* * *

It was nearly ten o'clock when he got to his room to start on his project…

He worked for two hours straight, stitching different patches of fabric together, sewing on the eyes, adding the cotton so that it was nice and fluffy. He even added the small choker with a small pendant. The pendant now had a small seal etched onto its glassy surface so that the seal was invisible unless in direct sunlight.

It was at the stroke of midnight that he finished…

He put a drop of blood on the pendant and felt a burning sensation near his abdomen but ignored it for the time being

The clock rang its bells, signaling the start of a new day…

Just as he was about to infuse the doll with dark magic, his pendant began glowing softly…changing the cloth into fur, the cotton into bones, muscles, and nerves…changing the stone eyes into burning crimson eyes…and changing the inanimate doll into a living, breathing companion

The seal on the pendant pulsed once…twice…and third time before dimming

When everything settled down, Naruto was staring into the eyes of a crimson fox with nine tails swishing behind it…

"You're late…Naruto"

* * *

I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR FAIRY TAIL

REVIEW


	4. Chapter 4

I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL OR NARUTO

**Author's note:**

**I am really sorry for the short chapter and the lack of updates. I wanted to redo this story so that it flowed better and had more detail, but as I was working on this and my other stories I ended up accidently deleting my plotlines. I know the big points in the plot but it was the little things I had trouble remembering. So while I was sulking and trying to find motivation to write again, I slacked off. This is a short chapter but please read it and comment on the flow and grammar**

* * *

There was a moment of silence as Naruto stared at the small fox sitting in front of him. The swishing of the tails echoed throughout the silent room as both occupants stared into each other's eyes. Suddenly, Naruto lunged towards the fox and gathered it into his arms, burying his face into the soft fur. The fox seemed to pause for a moment before wrapping its tails around him, comforting Naruto with their warmth. They stayed in that position for what seemed to be hours while in reality was merely ten minutes. Within those ten minutes, Naruto's body shook with silent sobs, desperately trying to hold in and hide the tears.

"Naruto…"

There was no answer, only the tightening of the arms as Naruto pulled the small fox even closer

"Naruto…calm down"

This time, Naruto gradually loosened his arms and set the fox down, staring into its crimson eyes

"Yeah…?"

"It's good to see you again. I hate to admit this but I've missed you and your crazy antics"

The small fox then brought his paw forward and held it out towards the blonde who looked at it for a moment before a smile formed on his face; bringing his hand forward, Naruto formed it into a fist and tapped it against the paw

"It's good to see you again partner…"

"Yeah…partner…"

The two stared at each for a moment before Naruto once again lunged forward and hugged Kurama to his chest letting the small fox feel the erratic thudding of the blonde's heart and the ragged breathing that indicated the silent sobs. It hurt the small fox to see his friend this way. In all the time they had been together, he had only seen Naruto cry enough times that he could count it on one of his paws. He knew that Naruto was still the same person as before: a stubborn person with a giant heart, but he also knew that being in a strange new world all by himself, without someone familiar had hurt his vessel.

_Oh Kit…how cruel can Kami-sama be if he lets someone like you suffer?_

"I really missed you Kurama; it's been so hard"

"I know kit, I know…but I'm here now and I will stand by your side"

* * *

The two walked together-if by together one meant that Naruto walked while Kurama sat on his shoulder. The strange site of a young boy no more than twelve walking with a nine-tailed fox on his shoulder caught the attention of the townspeople. While it was a strange site, no one bothered to feel threatened by the site because let's face it, when living in a town where magic exists and where mages can store magical beings in an alternate dimension that can be accessed with keys, the site of a twelve year old with a magical creature on his shoulder was just another one of the many strange normal sightings.

Noticing that the townspeople were accepting of the strange duo, Naruto let a small smile cross his features as he stared intently at a map he had purchased a few towns back. His destination was the country of Fiore which contained some of the best mage guilds in the entire Continent. His specific destination was the town of Magnolia to seek out the guild of Fairy Tail where there were rumors of dragon slayers amongst them.

Currently, the two travelers were in Seven, having travelled quickly through Bosco in order to avoid the slave trade. It was unlike him to avoid helping people but Naruto knew that drawing attention to himself this early into his plans would cause trouble he couldn't afford to deal with. As it was, they had already wasted a few months travelling through the entire Earthland to get to Fiore and Naruto was impatient. Travelling across the Continent, Naruto was exposed to many different types of magic, but he had yet to meet another dragon slayer as many tended to keep away from other slayers as dragons kept to themselves. The one good thing about travelling quickly without any unnecessary stops was that they had avoided the attention of the Magic Council who liked to keep track of all magic users, but Naruto knew it was only a matter of time before he was within their radar.

"Naruto"

The deep voice of Kurama jolted Naruto from his thoughts. The deep voiced startled him for two reasons: the first being he wasn't paying attention, the second being that he still had a hard time getting used to the deep voice of the bijuu Kurama in the tiny body of the magical creature Kurama.

Looking up, Naruto let out a breathe of relief when he saw the sign

**Entering Fiore: Welcome to Travelers and Welcome Back to Citizens**

* * *

Naruto adjusted his hold on his sack and adjusted Kurama in his arms as both glanced around them in awe. Deciding to grab a quick meal before finding a place to stay for the night, Naruto ran to the nearest food stall and checked over the prices. Once he determined that the food was safely within their budget, Naruto climbed onto a stool and placed Kurama in the stool next to him; before the vendor could protest, Naruto asked Kurama what he wanted on the menu

"I want the fried rice meal with water to drink; what do you want to eat Kurama?"

The other patrons of the stall chuckled as they saw the young child ask his "pet" what it wanted to eat; their amusement turned into shocked disbelief when the small animal began to speak

"I want to kabob with some milk in a bowl"

"Did you get that mister?"

The vendor just nodded mutely before going to prepare the meals. While shocked at the scene that had played before him, the vendor just shook it off as another mage thing

While Naruto and Kurama waited for their meals, another figure sat beside them with his features obscured by a hood and cloak and even more obscured by wrapping around his face. Normally, people would ignore the site as it wasn't uncommon for mages to hide their identity if they were powerful enough, but to the blonde and fox next to him, the stranger gave off some sort of aura that seemed different from the other mages the travelling pair had encountered.

Narrowing his eyes at the man, Naruto let his Dragon Sight take over for a brief moment in order to confirm his suspicions. The golden slit eyes warily looked the stranger over before finding something that astonished him. What he was made him gasp in surprise before blinking and letting his normal eyesight take over. The man, while having a magical aura of a mage had no real source of magic within him. In fact, it was more like the man was using an artificial source of magic to hide the fact he himself had no magical source within him. Closing his eyes, Naruto racked his brain for any information on such a phenomena; he came up with nothing within all the information he had read about in books regarding Earthland. As his search came up futile, Naruto attempted to try his luck on his knowledge of…other dimensions.

Before he could concentrate, a plate of food was placed before him along with his water while Kurama received his kabob and milk. His stomach growled, making Naruto realize just how hungry the two of them were. Deciding to delve on the matter at another time, Naruto and Kurama dug into their meals, amazing the people around them by inhaling the food at a breakneck pace. Even as they ate their meal, the two made sure to keep their attention on the stranger next to them. It wasn't as if the person had an evil aura per say, it was more like the person had an aura that seemed to give off the feeling of a dimension traveler with the way he seemed to be at ease in this world but feel of another.

As Naruto finished his meal he noticed the stranger standing up to leave. Nodding to Kurama Naruto silently asked the fox to keep an eye on the general direction the stranger traveled. Waiting seven minutes after the stranger walked away from the stand, Naruto paid the vendor and walked in the general direction of the stranger, making sure to keep his map with him in order to keep up the appearances of a lost and confused person so as not to arouse suspicion.

The stranger seemed to walk briskly but with smooth movements, betraying no outward sign that he was aware of the two travelers, but to the trained eyes of Naruto and Kurama, the stranger's movement was a little too military and the constant twitching of the fingers gave away all the signs needed. Deciding that stalling was no longer an option, Naruto made his way towards the stranger and tugged on his cloak

* * *

Mystogan eyed the blonde child next to him warily, though the action was not visible. There was something about the child that brought a shiver of fear down his spine. The child himself held blonde hair and blue eyes with a small fox as a companion, but the magic within the child seemed to be a very powerful and destructive kind. In order to not bring trouble to himself, Mystogan decided to finish his meal quickly and leave the stand. It was only a few moments later that he felt the presence of the child once again. He felt uncomfortable with himself as the child continued to walk in the same path as him though logic dictated that going by the map in the child's hand he was merely looking for directions. It wasn't even a minute after he had the thought that a child's hand tugged on his cloak, garnering his attention

Sighing internally, Mystogan smiled down at the child, though the smile was not visible, and promptly froze when he saw the face of the child that had been following him and the small fox. For all intents and purposes, Mystogan felt he had an excuse for his brief yet noticeable pause. The child stared at him with a blank expression and seemed to stare into his soul. Before he could get a word out, Mystogan watched as the child let out a bright smile and laughed

"I knew it! I was right!"

Before he knew it, Mystogan was following the small child into the nearby woods in order to have a private conversation away from prying eyes and ears

* * *

Naruto stretched and winced as he felt his back pop and creak as he relaxed into a comfortable position on the limb of a tree above the cloaked figure. Kurama was resting comfortable on the blonde's stomach and appeared to be asleep, but upon more careful observation one would see the ears of the small fox twitch continuously.

Mystogan was staring up at the small figure from his comfortable position on the ground. Though the child did seem to be at ease, Mystogan wasn't about to allow himself to relax just yet…He firmly put a slight scowl on his face, though once again it was not visib-

"That scowl on your face will stick permanently if you keep it up for too long"

Naruto called this out without even looking at the figure below him

Mystogan felt his mouth drop in shock

"You should close that mouth if you don't want to catch bugs. No, my magical ability does not revolve around psychic perception. No, I do not have the ability to read thoughts as I said before I have no psychic perception. Yes, evidently your emotions and thoughts are that obvious"

Mystogan just sat silently as he held his mouth in a half open position

"Well then, who are you child?"

There was a slight rustle as Naruto adjusted his position before answering the question

"My name is Naruto and I can't answer who I am because I don't know myself. You see, I am but a child and I have set out on a journey to see if I can find myself"

"Then…what are you?"

"I am a human endowed with the ability to use magic. I believe the term is mage or wizard correct?"

Mystogan fought off the oncoming headache by rubbing his fingers to his temples. As Mystogan made an attempt to speak, he was cut off as Naruto began asking his own questions

"Who are you stranger? You ask my name but don't have the courtesy to give me yours"

"…My name is Mystogan and I too am a mage, precisely a mage of Fairy Tail"

That caught Naruto's attention as Naruto straightened in his position

"I am an S-class mage and specialize in different rune spells"

"That's a lie"

Mystogan paused in his explanation, his own eyes narrowed in suspicion and wariness

"What is a lie?"

"While it may be true you are a mage of Fairy Tail, your name is not Mystogan and you are not a real mage"

With this said, Naruto allowed himself to fall from his position before landing deftly on his feet in front of the shell shocked Mystogan

"How do you know this?!"

"I didn't…you just confirmed it"

_I was played by a child?!_

"Who sent you?"

Mystogan was on a defensive position at this point, not willing to risk anymore than what was already found out

Naruto sighed before making his way towards the mage with his hands out in what was supposed to be a non-threatening manner but with mages, even the slightest hand motion could cause a spell of great proportions.

"I wasn't sent by anyone. Because I have traveled around for a while and had some experience in different types of magic, I was able to realize that your magical aura wasn't present within your core like other mages of this world but was present in your belongings"

Mystogan narrowed his eyes but allowed his stance to relax slightly

"Go on…"

"I have studied form different types of books but there was never any indication of such a phenomena, but then I delved deeper and I realized that there might not be any existing books about such cases on Earthland because this is not an Earthland case…through inference I was lead to the conclusion that you are possibly a dimension traveler…is that correct?"

Mystogan gave a sigh before slumping over where he stood, his stance defeated and resigned. He had spent years and years to perfect his act and knowledge of magical items, but a mere child was able to narrow it down with the span of a few hours at most. Removing the wrappings around his face, Mystogan allowed the young blonde to view his face

"It is true that I am not from this world originally, but I can assure you that I mean no harm towards the inhabitants of this world"

Naruto nodded to himself and sat down facing Mystogan and allowed the weary dimensional traveler to tell his tale of woe

"My true name is Jellal…Jellal Fernandes, prince of a world called Edolas…"

* * *

And so Mystogan, now name Jellal, continued his tale. He told his tale and explained his predicament with few inputs from the blonde. By the time he had finished he noticed that the sun which was barely setting when he had begun was long gone and a purple sky greeted his eyes

Naruto seemed to be silent for a moment before he allowed himself to speak

"I believe that we are in similar predicaments"

Jellal raised an eyebrow at that statement

"I am not originally from this dimension…"

"Then you are the same as me?"

Naruto sighed and looked up into the sky and for a moment Jellal could see not the image of a small child but a weary man

"In my world there was no such thing as magic…but we had something similar if not more basic and elemental"

Jellal focused his attention

"We lived in a world similar to this where there were multiple 'villages' ruled by different leaders. There were five major villages along with hundreds of smaller and unknown villages. The five major hidden villages in different countries and were divided into Fire, Lightning, Wind, Rock, and Water. By their names, each inhabitant of the village was more affiliated towards the element of the name of the country. I was an inhabitant of the Nation of Fire. My story begins with the night of my birth…but the story of our world begins far before that. It begins with the story of a man named the Sage of the Six Paths…"

So Naruto continued, explaining the story of the Sage and the hatred among the brothers, recounting the wars between the clans for power, speaking of the creation of Konoha and other villages, and going into his birth and his life…and finally recounting his appearance in the world, making sure to leave out the tiny detail of Zeref and Adtontitus

All the while Jellal listened with rapt attention and somewhat growing horror. To think that there existed in other worlds beasts similar to the demons created Zeref caused the young prince to shudder in horror. The story of the child in front of him made him rethink his self hatred toward himself. He could imagine no greater horror at having to face a lonely childhood, carrying such a burden, finally achieving his dream of peace, and having it all ripped away from him to save a world he did not know or love

"I can see it in your eyes…while I did not fully expect something like this; I have grown to love this world as much as my own"

"It must be hard to look around you and see such similarities but be bitten back the blaring differences"

Naruto grabbed a stick and began tracing designs in the dirt in front of him

"I admit it was hard at first; I was tempted to just live a quiet life and wait for death…but then I realized that I was here for a reason and I would need to see it through; I will deal with the pain as it comes"

They sat like that for the next couple hours…

* * *

As the sun peeked through the horizon, Naruto nudged Kurama awake and made his way towards his pack, causing Jellal to stir

"Why are you up so early?"

"I need to be on my way if I want to reach the town of Magnolia"

"I can take you with me if you want"

Naruto shook his head, his blonde locks flying side to side

"There are some more things I want to see and more I want to understand"

Jellal nodded his understanding. He was and still is the same way when he first came to Earthland. It had all been so foreign to him but it had also been exciting

"I wish you luck then"

"Come on Kurama, let's go…we have a long way to go"

"I want to you carry me on your shoulder again"

* * *

I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL OR NARUTO


End file.
